(1) The safety myth. Starting roughly 50 years ago, when the possibility of introducing nuclear power into Japan was first discussed, proponents repeatedly told the public that nuclear power was “safe.” This reiteration created the public misperception referred to as the “safety myth” (“anzen shinwa” in Japanese). This statement is of course, strictly speaking, incorrect—everything built by humans has some risks. It would have been far better to honestly explain the various risks and the countermeasures being taken to deal with them, but probably proponents were afraid that this would make it impossible to secure public acceptance of NPS construction.